Portfolio



Feb. 13, 1962 s. w. BRUNNER 3,020,945

PORTFOLIO Filed April 25, 1961 INVENTOR. 5.4M 14 5 FUN/V51? United States Patent 3,020,945 PORTFOLIO Sam W. Brunner, 166 E. 63rd St, New York, NY. Filed Apr. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 105,373 1 Claim. (Cl. 150-3) This invention is directed to an improvement in portfolios and particularly to portfolios of plastic material, such as vinyl.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a portfolio having its opening in its upper edge, this opening being equipped with a closure slide fastener, my con- 'struction being such that the ends of the portfolio can be heat-sealed to provide smoothly finished edges.

lathe manufacture of my improved portfolio, the two portfolio walls are heat-sealed to each other along the portfolio ends and at the bottom of the portfolio as well, if the portfolio is made from two pieces of material instead of from one piece folded upon itself. In the heatsealing opefati on, the sealing die extrudes the plastic to a very minute thickness, allowing the excess waste material to be torn from the portfolio body without cutting of trimming, leaving a smooth finish.

As above mentioned, the portfolio top is open and is equipped with a closure fastener. In order that the tape by which the fastener is attached to the portfolio walls will not interfere with the heat-sealing of the portfolio walls to each other, I provide two cars or projections at each of the two upper corners of the portfolio, these cars projecting beyond the portfolio ends suificiently to enable the ears to be heat-sealed directly to each other beyond the ends of the fastener tape, thus avoiding the necessity of trimming the tape, yet at the same time producing a smooth edge at the portfolio ends. Were the tape interposed between the portfolio walls where the walls are to be heat-sealed, it is obvious that the sealing die could not function properly, and that it would be necessary to trim the tape ends with scissors or other cutting implement to produce a reasonably finished edge.

These ears or projections impart another advantageous feature to the portfolio inasmuch as they enable the fastener tape to be of such length that the portfolio can be opened for its full length.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my portfolio, and

FIG. 2 is a front elevational View.

Referring to the drawings in detail,

2 and 4 designate the rear and front walls, respectively, of the portfolio. These two walls are of a suitable plas- 2 tie, such as vinyl for example, and are identical in shape. As above noted, the portfolio may be constructed from two pieces of material or from one piece of material folded upon itself.

As will be seen from the drawings, the rear wall 2 is shaped to provide two integral ears 6 and 10 at its two upper corners, which ears project beyond the portfolio ends. The front wall 4 is similarly shaped to provide integral ears 8 and 12 at its two upper corners.

20 designates the tape of a slide fastener 22, this tape being aiiixed to the upper edges of the two portfolio walls.

The ends of the portfolio walls are heat-sealed to each other, as seen at 14, and when the two walls are made from two pieces of material, the walls are heat-sealed to each other along their bottom edges as well. The ears 6 and 8 are heat-sealed directly to each other, as shown at 16, and the cars 10 and 12 are heat-sealed directly to each other, as shown at 18.

It is to be noted that by providing the ears 6, 8, 10, and 12, and by terminating the fastener tape 20 short of the outer extremities of these cars, I provide for heatsealing the ears directly to each other Without the tape being interposed between them. This enables the sealing die to extrude the material of the portfolio at the ears to a very minute thickness and allows the excess waste material to be torn from the body of the portfolio so as to leave a smoothly finished edge.

It will be appreciated also that the provision of the projecting ears enables the tape 20 of the fastener to be sufiicient-ly extended so that the side 24 of the fastener can be retracted to open the portfolio for its full length.

What I claim is:

A portfolio the walls of which are separable along their upper edges and inseparable along their ends and bottom, the material of each portfolio wall being shaped to provide a pair of integral ears at each of the two upper corners of the portfolio, said ears projecting lengthwise of the portfolio beyond the portfolio ends; the ears of each pair being sealed directly to each other; and a closure slide fastener extending along and secured to the upper edges of the portfolio walls for drawing said edges closed, said fastener terminating short of the seal by which the ears are sealed directly to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

